Huntsville, Ala. — The HudsonAlpha Foundation has received a $525,000 donation from an anonymous donor to help support the new Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine.
The Smith Family Clinic opened in November on the HudsonAlpha campus and is believed to be the first clinic in the world to use whole genome sequencing exclusively to diagnose rare, undiagnosed and misdiagnosed disease. Every genome has millions of variants, or changes to the DNA. The clinical team identifies the variants linked to a patient’s disease and, if possible, uses that information to recommend new therapies or treatments.
“We are so excited to support the new genomic medicine team at HudsonAlpha and look forward to the rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients based on their unique genomes,” the anonymous donor stated. “This highly respected team is here to change how medicine is practiced and we are humbled to be a small part of it.”
“We are working towards one goal here: to improve medicine,” said Howard Jacob, PhD, executive vice president for medical genomics at HudsonAlpha and the head of the genomic medicine team at the clinic. “This generous gift allows us to use genomics today to help find answers for patients struggling with undiagnosed or misdiagnosed diseases. Those answers are the first step in providing treatment.”
The Smith Family Clinic is powered by HudsonAlpha, Children’s of Alabama and UAB Medicine. To learn more, visit www.smithfamilyclinic.org.
About the Smith Family Clinic: The Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine has been established to identify the causes of undiagnosed diseases believed to be genetic in origin. By using the most advanced sequencing technology in HudsonAlpha’s Clinical Services Laboratory to perform whole genome sequencing, the clinic will help families and physicians find answers to these unknown causes of disease. World-renowned pioneers in clinical genomics and experts at analyzing genomic data will lead the clinic in identifying changes in the DNA linked to a patient’s disease, and ultimately help physicians learn more about the disease process and lead them to new therapies for their patients. In addition, HudsonAlpha offers a growing biotech hub to small companies and start-ups by providing access to outside experts, marketing direction and strategic networking opportunities. To learn more, visit http://smithfamilyclinic.org/.
About HudsonAlpha: The HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology is a genomic science and applications nonprofit organization. It is a high-volume genomic data producer serving thousands of academic, clinical and commercial clients’ needs. The Institute is a global scientific collaborator valued for its genomic data analysis and interpretation to solve some of the most pressing questions in cancer, undiagnosed childhood genetic disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, immune-mediated disease, agriculture and public health. Its unique 152 acre campus melds the boundaries between nonprofit scientists, educators and entrepreneurs so that collaboration sparks innovation and growth. In addition, HudsonAlpha offers a growing biotech hub to small companies and start-ups by providing access to outside experts, marketing direction and strategic networking opportunities. To learn more about HudsonAlpha, visit: http://hudsonalpha.org/.
Media Contact:
Margetta Thomas
256-327-0425
mthomas@hudsonalpha.org
